


Home and Safe

by DevilishlyVintage



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon)
Genre: Childhood Trauma, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Male-Female Friendship, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:48:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29222694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DevilishlyVintage/pseuds/DevilishlyVintage
Summary: When demons from the past choose to enter the mind, sometimes a friend is just what you need to get you through those times.
Relationships: Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 6





	Home and Safe

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this as a form of comfort as I've been experiencing pretty bad mental health as of late, due to an ongoing number of personal things that I won't get into. The story you are about to read contains an original character of mine that I made called Lucasta Floarea, though as you will see she is referred to as Lucy throughout (If you'd like to know more about her, I'm more than happy to answer any questions). Everything written is purely platonic and should be interpreted as nothing more than friendship. Thank you :)

A crack of thunder, like that of a whip, stirred Lucy from her sleep as she screamed. Wasting no time, she grabbed her dagger from the bedside table and pointed it towards a non-existent threat. Her hand shaking, she soon lowered the blade, covering her mouth. Fingertips grazed her lips; her nails close to digging into the tender pink flesh.

The familiar feeling of her heart aching consumed her chest, muscles twitching in discomfort. Her watery eyes stung, the whites and inner corners irritated. 

It was only when the tears started to fall on her nightwear, Lucy realised she was crying. A choked sound coming from her throat, the witch broke into sobs. Knees trembling, bumps formed all over her legs and the hairs on the back of her neck stuck up from a sudden rush of cold air.

_Damn it...not again._

A pale yet gentle hand moved the dagger from the bedsheet, placing it back where it had originally resided. Amber eyes met her teary gaze, housing sadness of their own. Dressed in his typical nightgown and blonde hair braided with a ribbon, Alucard stood silently. He didn't move nor did he speak as he moved around to the other side of the bed, taking the vacant spot. It took him aback when a pair of slender arms wrapped around him, though he didn't protest or try to move away.

The halfling returned the embrace, pained by the continuous cries of the female. His fingers on the back of her head, they intertwine with brunette waves, tenderly running through them, his tone of voice equal to his movements as he hushes her.

"Shh, it's alright. It's alright, I'm here." he assured her, hoping his words would calm her. "You're home. You're safe now, I promise."

He planted a kiss on the top of her head, his hold on her secure. Feeling Lucy shake like this brought him an amount of heartache he didn't think possible. She was so young and confident; it was an oddity to see her at her most vulnerable.

After a small moment, Lucy pulled away to look at Alucard, his hand cupping her cheek. Thumb brushing over her scar, he watched as she started to relax.

"Breathe." He soothed, and repeated familiar words. "Breathe, sweetheart. I won't leave you."

Hearing this, Lucy nodded and started getting her breathing under control. She sighed, taking in fresh air to clear out her airways. Sniffling, she was able to find her words.

“Thank God.” She said, relieved. “I-I’m so sorry, Alucard. I…I don’t know what came over me. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

Alucard shook his head, it wasn’t as if sleep came easy for him. “Don’t apologise, Lucy. It’s all right, really. You had a nightmare; it couldn’t be helped. Do you want to talk about it?”

Lucy got herself comfortable, knees hugged to her chest. A single tear rolled down her cheek. “I thought I was over it by now, but there’s some nights where I just see them. All those creatures, ready to claw away at me. I keep asking myself how anyone could do that to someone, let alone a member of their own family. The people that were supposed to care for me and protect me ended up being the ones I needed to be protected from. I never know if one day they’ll come back and finish the job. I don’t want to be defenseless like I was back then.”

“That’s why you sleep with your dagger.” Alucard realised, he’d already noted it as a peculiar trait of hers, though now that he knew the reason, it made him even more sympathetic. “How long have you been doing this, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Lucy remained quiet, her mind digging through old memories for a moment. “After I was adopted. I can’t remember exactly when it started. It just became more and more natural to me as time went on. I’ve tried to stop, hell my family tried to help me, but nothing they attempted worked. I was terrified. I still am. I don’t want them to drag me back into the darkness, I don’t want to become like them. A Filthy Forgemaster.”

Alucard allowed himself to smile, even if it was just a small one. He took her hand, their eyes meeting. “If being a Filthy Forgemaster, as you put it, is something you’re trying to be- its failing. My dear, you’ve proven yourself to be an incredibly bright and capable young lady. You possess more humanity than any member of your birth family, that’s something to be proud of. You fought tooth and nail for your freedom because you knew what they were doing was wrong. Look at where it’s got you. Becoming a white witch, I’d say that’s the path you were meant to follow. Not just anyone can do it.”

The edges of Lucy’s lips turned upwards a little, wiping her eyes. “You really know how to make a girl feel better, don’t you Alucard?”

“I try my best.” He replied.

The two laughed in each other’s company, humming contentedly afterwards. It was then that an idea sparked in Alucard’s mind, something he recalled Sypha doing that helped put Lucy’s nerves at ease. Although they didn’t have the luxuries he was about to bestow with them at the time, he figured this might be a welcomed change. He got off the bed, searching the drawers.

“What on earth are you doing?” Lucy asked, confused until her friend took out two items. A hairbrush and a navy-coloured ribbon. The brush was detailed with gold, regal patterns engraved on top. Returning, Alucard shifted his position so he was behind her. He hesitated, not wanting to overstep his boundaries.

“May I?”

Lucy agreed, nodding. “Yeah, go ahead.”

Alucard proceeded to brush through Lucy’s hair. He had to admit he was impressed by how well kept it was considering the length and texture. Long but not overly heavy, and not too curly. Did witches have some secret spells they used to keep themselves in good shape? No, he was sure that couldn’t be the case. He recalled the human having mentioned something about herbal remedies, things she concocted regularly. There was the faint scent of flowers, sweet but not overpowering. A gentle creation.

“Lilies and peonies.” Lucy confirmed, revealing her secret. “I use it after I’ve washed my hair sometimes. I mix the flowers up by hand before I use magic to finish it all off. All white magic has a base method, you can use it for whatever you wish if it stays within traditional guidelines.”

“There’s regulations for witchcraft?” Alucard inquired, making sure he didn’t miss a spot as he brushed. “Do tell.”

“Just like with practicers of the darker arts, white witches and warlocks follow rules and regulations that have existed for hundreds of years. Becoming a witch isn’t just something you do overnight, you must study and train so that you can harness your power. Even we can be pushed to our limits and trust me you do not want to see one of us when we’re mad. It’s a pretty scary experience.”

“Don’t I know it.” Alucard joked, almost regretting it when he sensed a change in Lucy’s mood. “Teasing. Carry on.”

“You better have been teasing. Trevor deserved it and you know it.” Lucy smirked, then relaxed. “So, over the decades and through the documentation of information and collecting of artefacts and other powerful relics, that was how the foundations for all forms of magical practice began. It’s essentially just split into different branches. Some are good, evil, and then others are just neutral. Magic isn’t inherently good or evil, it’s all about how it’s used. It’s even the same for Forgemastery. You don’t necessarily have to be an evil mastermind to control Night Creatures, but sadly the majority I’ve encountered do use it for not so helpful things.”

It truly was a shame.

“Fascinating. You really do know a lot for your age.” Alucard commented, splitting the hair into three sections. “Is this alright? I’m not hurting you?”

“I have a tough noggin’.” Lucy reassured him, doing a knocking motion on the side of her head. “You could stab thorns into my scalp and I still wouldn’t feel it…okay that was probably a massive exaggeration, but you get the point.”

_Dear God don’t make me picture that,_ Alucard thought, shaking the image out of his head. He started to braid the locks, making sure they weren’t too tight. He tied the end with the ribbon and gave a little grin at his handiwork. “There. All done. That should keep it nice and neat.”

Lucy got up to check herself in the mirror, once again embellished grandly like the rest of the room. It appeared daunting at night, though it was a sight to behold once the sun came up.

“It’s great. Thank you, Alucard. I appreciate it, really.”

A second boom came from outside, once again scaring the woman back to the comfort of pillows and quilts. Alucard observed the behaviour before joining her side, his head resting against silk coverings.

_Astraphobia. Poor thing._

He covered her with the sheet, moving a strand of hair from her face. “Do you want me to stay with you for a while? Until the storm has passed?”

Lucy nodded her head, not wanting to be alone. “Yes, please. If you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” He said, making sure they both had equal coverage of the blanket. Alucard felt her move closer, arms around him. He once again mimicked her hold, his hand returning to the top of her head.

“Night, Alucard.” Lucy muttered, already dozing off. He waited until she was asleep, then leaned down a bit.

“Goodnight, Lucy.”

He kissed her forehead, eyelids growing heavy before they closed entirely. Lucy was home. She was safe. 

That’s all that mattered.


End file.
